Mumble
by DisneyLady824
Summary: For years I patiently waited for someone to let me out of the dark room I had been locked in. That somone finally arrived, and as soon as everything slowly started piecing itself together, it all came crashing down. Sequel to Murmur
1. Never

**A/N - **For those of you who haven't been waiting for this for the last few weeks, this is actually the sequel to my story, _Murmur_. So if you don't want to be utterly confused, then you should probably go and read that first. To the rest of you, I hope you like the beginning. Sorry it's a little short, but you know me, my chapters will definitely get longer then this one. This is just to set the beginning up. I should hopefully be posting the next chapter up by next Friday (since I've actually already got half of it done) but I don't know if it will happen. I've got a busy week next week because of finals, senior trips, and graduation practice. I graduate on the 24th, so I'm hoping I get time in to write.

By the way, **The New York Newsies Awards** are announced on the 25th, I'll be sure to post the results on my profile if you're too lazy to go to the site. =)

Anyways, when I was going over the last few chapters of _Murmur_ a few weeks ago, a friend of mine wanted to know what the story was about. I asked her if she had seen the movie **Newsies**. She hadn't even heard of it. She like what I told her about the fic so I sent her home with my copy of the movie and the printed out version of _Murmur_. She loved it! And she has officially become a fan of the **Newsies** world. Be proud of me, faithful readers, I have converted one more person into our still growing cult.

So, Aerica (pronounced Erica), this chapter is dedicated to you because of all those chats we had about what could/would/and should happen throughout Mumble. Love ya, girlie!

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**Chapter One - Never**

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The darkness surrounding me was almost overwhelming. I couldn't see anything, it was completely black. My breath started coming in short gasps. I started to panic. This had happened many times before, and I still never got over the feeling of being utterly alone in the dark. The sense of being alone where I couldn't see if something was coming for me. I scrunched my eyes closed and rubbed at them before widening my lids. The outline of the bed next to the one I was lying on came into focus. I shifted slightly against the warm body next to mine and relaxed against the wall behind me.

The hand against my back twitched and its owner pulled me further into their embrace. My frantically beating heart began to slow.

I was in the bunk room of the Brooklyn Lodging House. A place where no one, not even the men in my nightmares, could get to me. Not with a room full of tough-as-nails newsies surrounding my bed. And definitely not with their leader sleeping beside me.

My body molded to his and I nuzzled my face into his neck. For as long as I had been sleeping in his arms, his presence, mostly his scent, calmed me down the most after a nightmare. My eyes drifted closed as I inhaled deeply.

Cinnamon. I don't know how he smelled like the spice, he never came into contact with it, but that's what I breathed in. That and newspaper ink. He would forever smell like the papers he sold, there was no doubt about it. If it ever came down to the scent disappearing, I don't know what I would do. The two put together as a whole was the most calming thing in the world to me.

Spot Conlon shifted in his sleep and his grip around me tightened. I was surprised he hadn't woke up yet; he was usually awake before I was, waiting for me to jolt up and burst into tears. My night terrors hadn't ceased since the newsies won their strike against Pulitzer and Hearst. In fact, they had gotten much worse.

No longer was I sleeping soundly through the night. Four times is the most that I've woken up throughout a six hour period. Spot was always awake to comfort and reassure me that there was nothing for me to be afraid of.

But there was. Rumors that Shredder had survived the brutal attack of the King of Brooklyn had started surfacing recently and he was one to be feared, whether he was alive or not. His sharp features and red hair made an appearance the most in my dreams lately. Along with a dark haired, sunken faced man. My step-father, Robert Filly.

The most hated man in my mind made several appearances each night. It was a reoccurring dream, one that I woke screaming to an hour after I'd fallen asleep. Even dreams of Spot couldn't stop the tattered man from plaguing my mind and completely taking over my emotions. I would always live in fear knowing that he could scare me in my dreams as much as he did in real life.

I hadn't seen him since the night he had last raped me. Searches had been made for him, ones that Spot conducted and ones that Teddy Roosevelt himself ordered to be done. Robert hadn't been found, and still hasn't to this day.

Our last encounter played through my mind occasionally. Him buttoning up his pants and then slamming the door to my bedroom in Aunt Sara's apartment behind him. Me lying on the floor in pain, the pinkie and ring finger on my left hand fractured. The result of his boot slamming down onto my hand had me reliving the crunching sound whenever I looked at my fingers.

My eyes opened. Spot's tanned skin greeted my gaze and I flexed the digits. I sighed as the stiffness in the bones made two of my fingers only curve halfway into my palm. Doc couldn't fix it any better then he had. There was nothing he could do to make them the way they used to be.

I wish I could say that I wanted everything to go back to the way it was. Back when mother and father were still alive. But then I wouldn't have met Spot, the man that I had fallen in love with. If I were to wish everything bad that had ever happened to perish, then he would go, too. Nothing would ever be able to convince me to make any wish that involved Spot disappearing from my life... except, maybe, a wish that would get me my little sister back.

She was still missing, even after all this time. I watched the streets daily, hoping to catch a glimpse of her light green eyes and strawberry blond hair. Hair that was like our fathers and eyes just like our mothers. I listened to the noises of New York carefully, expecting to hear her biting remarks to something that was said to her. I never did. But that never stopped me from searching every face I passed by on the street.

I missed my sister. I missed her with all my heart. All the times she took care of me, even though she was five years younger, broke through my thoughts. Every single time she gave a childish giggle, gazed up at me with innocent eyes, talked with her slowly learning New York accent, and huddled up to me after a nightmare; It all hit me like I had run into a brick wall. I held back a sob. Soon enough though, my tears began soaking into Spot's bare skin

Seconds after the flood started, his fingers were rubbing them away.

"It's ok, Mads. I'se is 'ere. It's gonna be ok."

I licked my lips. The taste of my salty tears ran across my tongue as I bit my lip. "No it's not, Spot. It's been two years. I'm never going to see her again-"

"Shh," he interrupted me softly. "Ya will. It might not be taday or tamorrow, but you'se will see Misty 'gain."

I shifted more toward him and snuggled under his chin. "Do you promise?"

"Ah course I'se do," he said gently. I felt his lips brush against the top of my head. "An when 'ave I'se evah broke a promise?"

I slightly shook my head and rested my arm across his waist. My eyes drooped closed as I slowly nodded off. "Never."


	2. The Usual Morning Rituals

**A/N – **First off, sorry it took me so long to get this posted. I was originally going to post it on Tuesday, but I quickly decided against that. Maddie just wasn't really in character at all throughout the chapter. The way I portrayed her just wasn't working for me so I had to rewrite the chapter... three times. The first time I wrote it I was channeling one of my characters from a different story, and the second time just didn't feel right. This was the chapter that I finally agreed upon. Now, you all must remember that it's been _two_ years, so obviously, she's going to be just a tad bit different then she used to be. And that's how I made it.

I know most of you have so many questions about the two year gap. Well, if I could have, I would have made it even longer just because of a reason that will make its appearance hopefully within the next few chapters. I hope you'll understand when it does appear. If not, ask me again in five chapters.

As for Misty, several of you asked about her and the talk between Spot and Maddie in the last chapter. Well, you need to remember that they have no entire clue what happened to Misty. They don't know if she's dead oralive. Madeline believes she's alive and will eventually see her little sister again.

Ok, this is the last thing I really wanted to talk about. I really love Gabriel Damon and how he portrayed Spot in **Newsies**, but seeing as in my story he's gotten older, I've been picturing someone else as being the King of Brooklyn. If you want to keep the image of the Spot you all know and love as the one in Mumble, then do so. But if you're at all curious, tell me and I'll put a picture of the guy I've been picturing up on my profile.

Now this is really the last thing. I want to see if any of you can guess what job Maddie has. There are a few hints at the end of the chapter.

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**Chapter Two – The usual morning rituals**

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I was awake long before I should have been. After Spot fell back asleep relatively easily, my eyes were wide open for about another half an hour before I grew tired of keeping them apart. I was awake again not even forty-five minutes later. So, for the next hour, I watched the man beside me as he slept.

Blitz thought it was creepy for me to watch Spot during the night. I didn't. I loved watching him sleep. Every day he grew more and more solemn, but as soon as his head hit the pillow and his eyes closed, he reverted back to being child-like. He looked so innocent that it was hard to imagine him as being the tough nineteen-year-old newsie leader he was supposed to be every day. It made the nights more bearable if I could just watch him for ten minutes.

I rolled onto my back and sighed at the bottom of the bunk above me. I needed to be getting up soon. Ever since Pete started waking up later and later every day, the morning ritual had been pushed onto my shoulders since I was the only one that was usually awake before he came up. The older he got, the harder it was for him to go about maintaining the building. Already several of the things he did daily were now done by the older boys of the Lodging House.

Doc expected that his uncle would be passing on within the next year. Nobody can live forever, but it was still sad to even begin to think about the kind and happy gentleman being gone from our lives.

Spot turned onto his side towards me and his forehead instinctively moved onto my shoulder and against my neck. I ran my fingers through his shaggy hair, mentally making a note to give him a haircut within the next week. My eyes drifted across the bottom of the bunk above us to the wall I was up against. I immediately smiled.

Nailed to the panels of the wall from the end of the bed to the head were the pictures I had drawn. Many were of the newsboys of the Brooklyn house, there were several of Spot, and more then enough of the newsies in Manhattan. My eyes scanned over them, pausing to stare at more then one for a moment longer then the others. I tilted my head against the top of Spot's at the sight of my mother's smiling face beaming down at me.

I don't know how he had done it, but Spot had managed to salvage several of the pictures that had been torn from their rightful place in my sketchbook. Mainly the ones of my parents and little sister were put back together. Albeit they were slightly off in being lined up right and there were gaps between some of the faces; they were perfect.

Kissing the top of Spot's head, I gently nudged him away from me and sat up. I lifted a leg across his waist and as soon as the toes of my right foot touched the floor, I put all my weight on it and lifted myself from the bed. I really should have been the one sleeping on the outer edge of the mattress since I was always the first one up, but Spot wasn't comfortable with that idea. I was stuck between him and the wall whenever we went to bed. He felt I was safer that way. I couldn't agree more, actually.

I steadied myself on the bunk across from ours and turned to gaze down at Spot for a moment. His face was marred in a frown due to the cool draft racing against his skin from me leaving. I leaned down and pulled the blanket up from around his waist to his shoulders. I quickly kissed his forehead and smoothed my fingers over his cheeks. His features relaxed. He would only get about five more minutes of sleep before the noise finally woke him. Every morning I'd try to give him a few minutes more since he was up with me throughout the night.

Blitz shifted on the bunk above where Spot was asleep. He turned completely over onto his stomach and his hand fell over the edge of the bed and was left dangling. I lightly touched the skin on the back of his hand and one of his fingers twitched. I repeated the motion a few more times before the gleam of his open eyes stared at me through the darkness.

"I'se swear ta all dat is holy, Maddie, if ya don't stop dat, ya gettin pushed inta da East Side Rivah."

I smiled back at him sweetly. "Time to get up, Blitz. Be quick before I wake everyone else up and you have to scramble for a sink."

He glared at me while flinging the blanket away from his body and swinging his legs to hang them off the bed. He jumped to the floor beside me and yawned loudly.

"Would you please start wearing a shirt to bed," I flicked the bare skin of his shoulder as he shuffled past me. "Fall's coming soon and it's bound to get colder in here within the next few weeks. We don't need you getting sick."

I could tell Blitz had rolled his eyes just by the way the muscles in his back shrugged upwards slightly. "And don't roll your eyes at me, it's not very becoming of you."

The eighteen year old looked incredulously over his shoulder at me. "'ow do you'se even do dat?"

I waited for him to quickly sidestep a bed post before answering, "Start wearing a shirt to bed more often and it won't happen as much. Your body likes to give you away."

He gave me another funny look and just as I was about to warn him to watch where he was going, he ran into one of the bunks. The boy sleeping on the top bed jerked awake. He peered through the darkness, listening as Blitz cursed out loud while rubbing at his chest.

"Did you'se run inta da bunk 'gain?"

Blitz sneered at the other dark haired boy. "Shut ya face, Jolly. I'se don't need ta 'ear ya loud mouth dis mornin'."

Jolly raised an eyebrow in my direction. I lifted my shoulders before strategically placing my bare feet in certain places to ensure that I didn't trip on anything. Blitz growled in annoyance and started once again for the door to the hall. I trailed along after him, hearing the sound of Jolly's feet as they landed on the floor behind us.

Blitz almost bashed his shoulder against the door-less frame, but I managed to push him out of the way and into the hall. He stumbled along in the darkness towards the washroom. I shook my head and searched for the switch on the nearest wall. As soon as my fingers touched the cool surface, I flipped the small object that would turn the lights to the bunk room on.

The only other teenager awake in the room was just finishing pulling his pants up over his hips when the area lit up. His dark eyes squinted in the brightness and he momentarily held a hand over his face. I barely even blinked against the light as I gazed around the bunk room.

Amongst the rows of sleeping boys, clothes, old stacks of newspapers, and other assorted items littered the floor. I kicked aside a few stray papers, picked up a brown cap, and rolled a couple marbles on the palm of my hand. It desperately needed a serious case of cleaning, but I had no time to do so until the weekend. It was only Tuesday.

Jolly struggled to pull one of his boots on as I passed by him to reach the end of the row his top bed rested on. He grinned at me as I pulled to a stop at the bunk on the opposite side of the wall to where Spot was still fast asleep. I took a deep breath before everything went into chaos.

For a year I had been waking the boys up so they could get to work before the papers came out. I learned many different things in that time period. Blitz was not a morning person, Tully couldn't sleep without his old patched up blanket, Hawk spent at least a half an hour in front of the mirror to make himself look good, Cricket was harder to wake up then anybody else, Beetle was nowhere near coherent unless he got a full night's sleep, and Dodger liked to sleep in the nude.

That last one nearly traumatized me when I found that little tidbit out a week after living in the Brooklyn Lodging House. He'd grown comfortable enough with me being there all the time that he went against Spot's wishes to put clothes on when going to bed. I got over it. Eventually. Now every day I witnessed half naked boys walking around throughout the day and didn't bat an eyelash. I mean, they were decent enough that it wasn't scandal and my gaze never lasted longer then it needed to on them. I'd spent enough time around them that they became my family so it never really mattered as much as it did in the beginning.

I pulled my mind away from the thought of family and went down the first row of newsboys. I snatched Tully's blanket from under his chin and his eyes immediately snapped open. He groaned and curled up on his side. I folded his blanket up, laid it over my forearm, and then leaned down to the bunk beneath his and shook Hawk's shoulder. He blearily opened one eye.

"No," the fifteen year old whined. "Can't I'se sleep fa jus' a liddle while longah?"

I shook my head and pulled his blanket away and towards the foot of his bed. "No, you know how long it takes you to get ready in the mornings. Maybe if you would spend just a little bit less time in front of the mirror then maybe I'd wake you last."

Hawk punched at his pillow. "Damn me'se fa needin my 'air ta be perfect."

I grinned at him and flung Tully's blanket onto the younger boy's bed. I walked right by Dodger, his head lifted for a second before laying back down as soon as he saw me. His eyes closed tightly and I slapped at his blanket covered foot.

"You know the drill, Dodge."

The light haired young man sighed and made to swing his legs over the edge of his bed. I quickly turned to the mattress opposite his and my eyes landed on Cricket. The top of his rust colored head was the only thing I could see of him since his entire body was covered up with his own blanket and a spare sheet.

I paused to roll the sleeves of my shirt up before ripping the covers from his bed. He continued to sleep. Some of the other boys around me started waking up on their own, the bright lights letting them know it was time to get up. Most of them tried to help me out by waking their neighbors so I wouldn't have to.

A rustling of clothing behind me made me turn. Dodger pulled his suspenders up over his now covered shoulders and he stepped up beside me. "Think we'se should jus' push 'im off?"

I frowned. "I don't think so, Dodge. Wouldn't that hurt him?"

Dodger stared down at his friend for a moment. He shot forward and roughly punched the sleeping boy in the arm. Cricket did nothing but mumble something under his breath and wipe at the drool leaking from between his lips.

"Well, dat didn't work."

"Obviously. I can't believe I'm about to do this, but," I took a hesitant step forward. "Thank goodness he doesn't sleep on the top bunk."

I reached down, and with Dodger's help, we shoved Cricket out of his bed. The boy landed in a heap on the floor. I kneeled down on his bed and looked over the edge of his mattress to see his open hazel eyes looking up at my green ones.

"Wha'?"

I grinned down at him. "Time to get ready to sell some papers, Cricket."

Now that he was up, I continued on down the line of still sleeping newsies. A few instantly woke without trouble, more then two hid their heads under their pillows, and at least one fought with me the whole way to the washroom. I could still hear Benedict's huffs from down the hall as I moved to Beetle's side.

I tilted my head and studied his sleeping form. The scar beneath his left eye was pale against his tanned skin, his brown hair messy against his pillow, and his burly form almost too big for his bed. I smiled at him and gently prodded at his shoulder.

"Wake up."

Beetle's lids flickered open and light blue eyes blinked up at me.

"Sleep well?"

The young man scratched at his cheek. Someone nudged against my back. I turned my head to see Driver stretching as he squeezed between Jolly's body and mine.

"Mornin, Mads."

"Good morning. Hey, would you please make sure Nickel gets up. Last time Miller decided to let him have a few more minutes of sleep and completely forgot about him. He was late and I'm never trusting Miller to wake him up ever again. You know Nick has been having trouble with his leg lately."

Driver frowned and glanced over his shoulder at the mention of the teenager. "Yeah, I'se gots it. No problem."

I nodded at him and looked back to Beetle. The large boy widened his eyes as he sat up.

"And you, since you're wide awake, are responsible for getting Zibby ready thing morning."

Beetle cringed. "Do I'se 'ave ta?"

"Yes, you do. It's your turn. Don't act like it's a horrible pain to do it. I'm the one who takes care of him during the day, I need someone to at least get him ready in the mornings."

I walked away before he could get another word in. I dodged through dressing newsies and made my way to where Spot was finishing pulling his boots on. The sound of Cricket hitting the floor had probably woke him. The second I turned up in front of him he stood up and reached for me. My arms circled his waist and his stormy eyes closed as he breathed in my scent. He waited a moment or two before leaning backwards and kissing the tip of my nose. His lips brushed across my cheeks as he kissed each of my eyelids and then my forehead.

Every morning when he was finished getting ready for the long day ahead of him he would do this. It was _his_ ritual to get him through the rest of his day.

"Did you'se get any more sleep aftah I'se knocked back out?"

"A little," he brushed a strand of hair away from my face as I mumbled this.

"Don't worry 'bout it, maybe you'se will gets more tanight."

We both knew I wouldn't.

"Maybe."

Spot loosened his hold on me and gestured with one hand towards his body. "Do I'se look presentable enough ta go outside?"

I scrutinized his clothes, nodding in approval. I bit my lip though, as I cast a look at his face. Although I loved the look of the stubble across his jaw, it made him appear older then he actually was. And in the business of selling newspapers, that wasn't a good thing.

I rubbed the back of my hand across the right side of his face. He swore loudly and skittered around me and towards the door to the hall.

"Thanks, Mads, almost fergot."

* * *

Twenty minutes later and the sun was slowly starting to rise.

"You're all going to be late if you don't leave now!" I called out from the doorway to the washroom. The chatter grew louder as they started to file past me and down the stairs. They all said their usual goodbyes and I replied in kind.

"Stubbs'll be back at some point taday. Be on da lookout fa 'im."

I jumped at Miller's declaration from beside me. I stiffly acknowledged his words and he moved to help Nickel down the stairs. Spot exited the bathroom and kissed my forehead.

"Please be careful today, Spot."

"Ya know I'se will. I'se 'ave you'se ta come 'ome ta, don't I'se?"

I nodded against his lips and he leaned back. Grinning at me, he gave me one last kiss before following his boys down the stairs and out the door.

"Maddie!" A high pitched voice shrieked from behind me.

I turned just as a small body flung itself against my legs. I struggled to keep my pants up as the tiny being grasped for a hand hold so they wouldn't fall backwards. I peered down at the half dressed little boy as he hugged my legs. Beetle rushed down the hall towards me with a dark fabric in his hands.

"Liddle bastard got away from me'se."

I sighed softly and took the shirt from his hold. "Better get going, Beetle. You're late enough as it is."

Beetle swore loudly and took off down the stairs. The small boy below giggled. I waited for the door to slam shut before I reached down and pulled the dark shirt over the kid's head.

"Zibby, you really know how to frustrate a person, don't you?"

The four-year-old just smiled at me innocently and rocked back on his heels as his hands went through the arm holes of his shirt.

After finishing getting him dressed, I picked him up and rested him on my hip. "Well, you ready to go listen to old people droll on about their problems, list off their symptoms, and shed their clothes for an exam?"

Zibby stuck his tongue out and hurriedly shook his head.

I grinned and kissed his cheek. "Good, cause neither am I."


	3. It's 'cause she lurves 'im

**A/N - **So, I got this out a few days after I had actually wanted to get it out. Work's been a pain, let's all blame it on that, shall we.

Just about all of you knew exactly what Maddie's job was, so kudos to you for figuring out the easiest hints ever. Seriously, it most likely wasn't that hard for any of you.

And, as most of you knew what Maddie's job was, plenty of you actually wanted to know who I'm thinking of as Spot for this story. Well, I don't know if any of you have ever seen the movie _Perfume: The Story of a Murderer_ but the main lead in that movie is the young man I'm thinking of. Just the way he looks in the film is how I've been picturing Spot. If you see Ben Whishaw (that's the actor) in any other movie then that one, then you'd be imagining him all wrong from my perspective. I've got the picture up on my profile for how he looks in the movie, if you want to see more, look up the movie on Google. Hopefully you won't be disappointed.

**Reviews -  
****Dreamless-Mermaid –** After what you said about Maddie being Wendy, it all clicked in my head. I saw some resemblances in there that I never even noticed until you said something. Nice catch :)  
**LivingByWill –** We will always and forever love Gabriel Damon, there's no doubt about it.  
**chaoticmom  
****brea  
****DeanPortmanlover21  
****Spotted Dancer – **Thank you! And congratulations for your wins also! You did amazing!  
**YumKiwiDelicious**

By the way, before I forget, _Murmur_ won 3rd place in **Best Spot**, **Best Romance** and one I didn't even know it was nominated for, **Adventure**. I wanted to thank all of you who got a chance to vote and even those of you who never got the chance but told me you wish you'd been able to. I freakin love you all!

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**Chapter Three - It's 'cause she _lurves_ 'im**

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Minutes after I finished combing my hair I was helping Zibby down the stairs. He held his wooden sword in one hand while the other grasped onto mine tightly so he wouldn't fall if he tripped over his own feet. As soon as we reached the bottom step, he leaped to the ground floor and lunged forward. His weathered sword jabbed outward at an unknown foe and he growled at the empty air in front of him.

I smiled at the tiny being's back and quickly glanced around the main room of the Lodging House. It hadn't changed much in the last two years I had lived in it. Other then it being much cleaner then it used to be, everything was almost exactly the same as it was when I first stepped into the newsie filled room. One of the couches had been replaced, the chairs were still scattered, and personal effects of the building's occupants littered the living space. The shelf against the far wall was still lopsided and leaning to the left. It's shelves were full of the little treasures the younger kids found during the summer months. One of the couches had been set up against it to help keep it steady.

Although there wasn't much wrong with the shelf, considering it still held objects of all kinds, it was still broken. And it wasn't the only piece of furniture needing to be fixed. The large round table in the middle of the room was currently being held up on one side by a thick-backed sturdy chair. There had been an argument the previous week and one of the legs had been busted off to be used as a weapon. Spot had not been happy to hear that his poker table was dismantled over an issue dealing with sling-shots. The boys who caused the damage were punished and life went on.

Walking around the broken table, I picked up the playing cards that had been knocked onto the floor the night before. I set them in a neat stack on the scratched surface of the table and turned towards the door behind the service counter. I peered down at the dark space between the wood of the floor and the wood of the door. Pete still wasn't up. Frowning, I edged around the counter and flipped open the worn down book on the counter.

Several names in messy handwriting jumped out at me as I flicked through the pages to get to the one that was only half full near the middle of the book. I skimmed down some of the horrendous pencil marks, my eyes landing on the last note.

_hak – paid through Thursday_

The misspelling of Hawk's name led me to believe that he was the one who wrote it in. The second half though, was Pete's handwriting. I picked up the dull pencil lying next to the book and quickly jotted a few words down under Hawk's name. After finishing the note for Pete, I closed the book and crouched down behind the counter. I moved a few things around before shoving it on the top shelf. I rifled through a few loose papers, strategically laying them so they would hide the ledger.

It was a precaution in case an unwanted guest decided to snoop around the Lodging House while nobody was available to hinder their progress of sneaking. The book listed the newsboys who had stayed at the Brooklyn house for the last six months. If it were to fall into the hands of the wrong person, say someone from the Refuge or a police officer with a hunch, then they'd have the names of every single boy who'd ever stepped foot inside the building that had committed a crime. Which was just about all of them.

It was a good idea to hide it.

The sound of something smacking against the floor on the other side of the room had me straightening to see what was the cause of the noise. My eyes scanned the room, stopping at the sight of Zibby rising to his knees from the floor. His wooden sword was three feet away from his person and something was wrapped around his right ankle. His head lifted and I immediately saw the scrape across the bottom of his chin. His brown colored eyes watered, his cheeks grew red, and his face scrunched up. He was going to cry.

I hurried around the counter and rushed to his side. As soon as his mouth opened in a wail, I glimpsed blood across his front teeth. I held in a shudder at the sight of it and picked the small boy up from where he was reaching for me. His legs wrapped tightly around my waist and his hands bunched my shirt up across my shoulders.

"Shh, you're okay. Zibby, it's okay."

His head dug further under my chin and I rubbed along his spine to calm him. I looked down to try and figure out what had happened. What had once been a coiled up rope was now laid out on the floor. A loop was at one end and I could only guess as to how Zibby managed to catch his foot in it. I peered closely at it, rocking back and forth on my feet, and instantly recognized where the rope had come from.

"Jack, you're a dead man," I murmured angrily.

Zibby's cries slowed to whimpers, his tears soaking into my shirt.

"Let me see," I told him, gently pulling his face away from my chest.

He leaned backwards. I smoothed away his tears and carefully parted his lips. He willingly opened his mouth and I withheld another shiver as I spied the blood starting to pool around his gums.

"I think it's time we get to Doc, what do you say?" I asked him, softly running my fingers over his cheeks.

He wearily nodded, his eyes starting to water once again, and he rested his head on my shoulder. I rubbed his back and scowled down the rope still on the floor. I kicked it aside and reached for Zibby's sword.

The last time Jack had been to the Lodging House in Brooklyn, both him and Spot had gotten drunk enough to have a severe headache in the morning. They could hold their alcohol very well, but it had been the two year anniversary of the Newsie Strike and they felt that they needed to pay tribute to all their hard work. They drank much more then they could handle and then some. The next morning, after having to practically drag Jack down the stairs and out the door, he left with his boys with nothing but his own bed on his mind. He'd completely forgotten one of his most prized possessions behind.

It's been sitting in the corner of the room for almost a month now, and I was surprised that he hadn't come to pick it up yet. He probably thought he'd misplaced it and that it had either been stolen or it was hidden somewhere under one of the beds in his bunk room.

After catching another glimpse of the blood in Zibby's mouth, I quickly decided that when the next set of boys went to Manhattan, I was going to have one of them strangle Jack Kelly for me. And with his own rope, too.

* * *

"Just one more block, sweetie, just one more block and we're there." My reassurances were for me just as much as they were for Zibby. Back when I was a kid I'd had no problems whatsoever with blood, even with witnessing my mother's murder right before my eyes. Ever since that day in the alley, though, just the thought of blood gave me more nightmares then I needed. Seeing the red color right in front of me was not going to help me get to sleep tonight, not one bit.

The street was beginning to get busy with the early morning market. People of all ages crowded the street as the vendors set up their carts. I stiffened at the bustle of the buyers in the middle of the direction I needed to go. I hitched Zibby further up my hip, his sword painfully digging into my ribs. I scanned the road before me, looking for some way to get through the crowd of people without actually being in the crowd. I never liked going into places with large amounts of people when I was by myself.

A whistle off to my right caught my attention. I peered up at the building, my eyes immediately searching for the fire escape. I found it within seconds and I immediately relaxed. A boy of about fourteen held his fists up to his mouth, his fingers moving oddly as he let out a whistle. The bird call carried down the side of the building, across the heads of the vendors around me, and into my ears, instantly comforting me. Spot's birdies were always watching out for me, even when it didn't seem like they were.

I scratched at the side of my nose and the youth nodded back. It took him only seconds to scale down the ladder of the fire escape where as it would have taken me a good few minutes. I hurriedly made my way towards the alley he landed in, happy to be free of all the people.

"Do you have another route for me?"

The boy sucked on his bottom lip thoughtfully before answering. "Nah, 18th's packed jus' 'bout as much as dis one, an Remsen's full ah bulls 'cause of a trolley accident. Dis ways ya best bet."

I inwardly groaned. Couldn't a day go just the way I wanted it to for once?

"I'se would suggest goin by rooftop, buy I'se gots a feelin dat ain't too 'ppealin ta you'se."

Shaking my head, I responded with, "No, it really isn't. You remember how I reacted when Spot tried to teach me how to use a sling-shot down at the docks and I was only a couple crates up."

He grinned and I could tell he was running through the memory. I had been scared witless being so high up. Everyone else thought it was hilarious to see me so frightened of the height. I was usually tight-lipped when it came to swearing, but I just might've let a few explicit curses slip as I was storming away with a laughing, but apologizing at the same time, stormy eyed man trailing after.

"Governor, please tell me you have some other way for me to get through."

The sandy haired teen tilted his head before sighing. "Dere ain't any othah way, Mads. Unless ya wanna go a few streets ovah an den 'ave ta retrace ya steps, but dat would take ya even longah. Sahrry. 'ere, I'se will go wid ya's, 'ow's dat sound?"

My face brightened. "Thank you, I'd appreciate that very much."

Governor smiled bashfully at me and offered me his hand. I took it while simultaneously stepping back into the bustle of marketers. He lead the way, slipping between women clutching baskets and old men trying to get a bargain on a sale. The teen herded me through the lightest populated areas he could find, which weren't many, but it helped all the same.

"So," he looked over his shoulder to me as he reached down to pick up a fallen apple for a mother trying to hold onto her unruly son. "What's wrong wid 'im."

I waited for the woman to smile graciously at Governor as she gripped her son tighter before answering. "He tripped over Jack's rope and got hurt. I'm going to have Doc take a look at him when we get to the office."

Governor whistled while raising his eyebrows. "Cowboy's gonna get it, ain't 'e?"

"Oh, you have no idea. He was bleeding somewhere in his mouth when we left the Lodging House, so yes, Cowboy's got it coming to him."

His hand squeezed mine and I barely realized we had come to a stop in front of our destination until he nudged me towards the door.

"Thanks, Governor, you're a lifesaver, you know that?"

He shrugged and let go of my hand. "Jus' doin my job."

I smiled and gestured towards the building on the other side of the street. "Better get a move on then, I can see Hawk waiting for you on the roof."

Turning, he lifted a hand to his mouth and let out a whistle. Moments later the call was returned and Hawk's form disappeared over the top edge of the building.

"Get going, Vern, I need to get Zibby taken care of."

The teen rubbed across his eyebrow and I laughed at the 'see you later' signal before he could take off across the road and into the alley. I turned towards the stoop and followed the steps up to the door with the number 518 embossed in the frame. Half of the eight was missing and the five was loosely hanging upside down.

"Someone really needs to get that fixed."

And with that, I opened the door and stepped inside.

* * *

"Well, John, it seems that with the symptoms you've got, you're just in the beginning stages of a cold. Nothing to be seriously worried about. It's when you start coughing up more then the usual that you should start to worry."

Mr. Henderson coughed into his elbow before gruffly asking, "What if it does get worse?"

Doc helped the man into his jacket. "Then come straight back here and we'll get you checked out. Maybe even get you some medicine if it's dire."

"But I can't affo-"

"I know, John, but for now, just go home and get some rest. Try and drink plenty of fluids and try not to overwork yourself like you're known to do."

The old man scowled at the younger one. "And for good reason. Family's gotta eat somehow, don't they?"

"Don't we all," Doc replied smoothly. His tone of voice was soft as he glanced around the tiny waiting room to the corner his wife was sitting in.

I jumped up from my seat next to Lizzie and opened the door out into the hallway. Mr. Henderson smiled gently at me, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes becoming more prominent. He turned back to Doc while standing in the doorway. He reached into one of his pockets and Doc stilled his movement with a shake of his head before it was halfway in.

"Don't worry about it, John. You can take care of the payment at a later date. I know one of your granddaughters has a birthday coming up, why don't you go and buy her a present."

The older man looked as if he were going to argue. Instead, he paused and then nodded at the act of kindness. On the way out the door he muttered, "Melissa does need a new doll."

I shut the door behind Mr. Henderson and looked at Doc. "He's not going to make it past Thanksgiving, is he?"

Doc slowly shook his head. "And he knows it too."

"Poor man," I heard from the other side of the room. "Won't be able to spend Christmas with his family before he's gone."

I shuffled over towards the voice and sat down next to Doc's wife.

"That's just how life goes, Lizzie," Doc said as he walked back towards the one and only exam room of his small doctors office. "You should know that by now."

The woman rubbed her hand over her swollen belly and frowned. "Don't I know it."

And she did. Over the last eight months she'd had two miscarriages. Two times where a tiny being would be given a chance at life only for it to be torn away for no known reason. Elizabeth had been devastated, still was, in fact, and was only comforted by the fact that she had at least one living child for her to love. She'd held Rosalie at any possible moment, cradling the small girl to her chest after each disastrous event took place.

This was their third chance for another baby, and it looked like their luck was finally looking up. They'd been worried when the month came along when the last two had arrived early, but nothing had happened. It's been over four months, and Liz looked about ready to burst any day now.

"How were the children doing when you last checked on them?"

I was startled enough to jump slightly. I could feel my cheeks grow warm from the knowing look she was giving me. "They were fine. Rosie was fast asleep and Zibby was complaining about his tongue. When I went in there he told me he was going to show everybody his battle scar when we get home tonight. Said he'd just barely escaped the wrath of a pirate and those were his wounds from almost getting his tongue cut off for treason."

Elizabeth laughed joyfully. "Why, he sure has an imagination on him, doesn't he. Where does he get it from?"

I shook my head. "Not a single clue. None of the boys really even know what a pirate is other then what Benedict has told them. And you only know if it's true or not by the way he laughs. And even then you can never really tell because the pitch is almost the exact same as when he regularly laughs."

"But you have to admit, those lies, and the way he laughs, are so ridiculous it's funny."

I giggled along with her, our shoulders shaking in mirth.

"Just what are you two laughing at?" Doc asked from the doorway to the exam room. He was wiping his hands with a cloth and staring at us curiously. "You sound like Benedict on a good day when he's lying. You know, those girlish giggles he lets out."

We laughed until the next patient walked through the door. Whenever our eyes met for the rest of the day, Liz and I immediately started chuckling.

* * *

By the time the last mother worried over her ailing child had left, the sun was already starting to make its descent from the sky and behind the tall buildings. I was exhausted, Zibby was dozing on my shoulder, and Lizzie had already said her goodbyes and taken Rose up to bed. Doc locked the office door behind him and stood on the top step of the stoop while I stood at the bottom. My eyes flickered back and forth over the citizens rushing towards their homes or making last minute purchases.

"Makes you wish we still lived next door to the Lodging House, doesn't it?"

I glanced over my shoulder from my search for my escort home to look up at Doc. I tilted my head. "Only a little, but you needed space more then I needed the safety of having work just a few feet away."

Doc sighed and leaned his hip against the stair railing. "Sorry for making you have to walk all the way here every morning and then back again at night."

Shaking my head, I adjusted Zibby more comfortably in my arms. "Don't even worry about it, Doc. I've got friends in high places that take care of me."

He smiled at my joke. "That you do."

"Besides," I shifted my feet away from the stoop steps as I spotted one of the people I was looking for. "Without these nightly walks home, I'd never get much of a chance to talk freely with three of my favorite boys."

"Aw! I'se one of ya favorites? 'ow sweet is dat."

I jumped away from the voice and scowled as I turned to see Hawk grinning widely at me.

"Only aftah Spot, 'e always comes first."

I brightened just at hearing Spot's name come from the newly arrived Governor's lips.

"It's 'cause she _lurves_ 'im," Hawk teased.

My eyes rolled, but I smiled nonetheless at the truth in those words. Governor laughed and puckered his lips, making kissing noises.

"All right you two," I heard from behind me. "Leave her alone and get her home safely."

"Sure thing, Doc." Hawk saluted the man, tugging my arm with his free hand.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Madeline."

Waving over my shoulder, I watched Doc go back inside his building. As soon as the door closed behind him, someone took Zibby out of my arms while another wrapped their own around my waist. I relaxed into their grip before leaning back and examining their expression for anything different then when I had last seen them.

Shudder let my eyes wander over his face without a trace of discomfort. He rather enjoyed the attention. As long as I was the one giving it to him. I ruffled the fourteen-year-old's hair and he smiled happily at me. He grasped my hand and tugged me to where Governor was cradling Zibby in his arms and Hawk was watching the people walk by with vague interest.

"Seeing as you're back, I'm going to assume that Stubbs made it home just as safe and sound as you did."

The teen slowly nodded, his fingers lacing with mine. He gestured to the side of his head, knocking against his skull with a knuckle, and frowned.

"Did he get hurt?"

Shudder quickly affirmed my words with a thumbs up.

"'ow bad?" Governor asked from my other side. Hawk glanced at us over his shoulder as he strolled along in front of us.

The darked haired boy shrugged and estimated with his thumb and forefinger.

Governor's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Dat much? What was 'e doin?"

I could feel Shudder's body... shudder as he gripped my arm with both hands and held on tight. I loosened his fingers and threw the arm over his shoulder, holding him close.

"Betcha 'e got in a fight wid those Delancy bruddahs," Hawk said from a few steps ahead. "Probably deserved it, da lousy prick."

Governor shifted Zibby in his arms and glanced at me uneasily as I decided to not call Hawk out on his profanity. They'd both seen how Stubbs treated me when we were alone and they were hiding. I purposely let them talk just so I could hear the names (some of them were actually quite funny) that they called him behind his back.

I don't mean for it to sound as if I'm a bad person, happily going along with their taunts, but Stubbs had hurt me much worse then Robert ever had. He was going to take me away from Spot and he threatened the life of my loved ones on a daily basis. Whenever nobody was around, at least when he _thought _nobody was around, he always intentionally made me uncomfortable in some way or another. What could it hurt to hear him being bashed when he wasn't there to defend himself? It literally sounded like music to my ears.

I gently squeezed Shudder's shoulder. He cringed away from my hand and into my side. I froze, almost making the couple walking behind us run into our backs. The woman grumbled something under her breath as they went around us. I ignored her and turned to Shudder. Hawk and Governor stopped a few feet away, looking back at us curiously. I shot a look at them and they tensed.

Reaching for Shudder's arm, he unconsciously flinched back. He _never_ flinched when he was with me. Something was wrong. Governor saw the movement and he sped over to stand beside me in front of the slightly younger boy. Hawk followed after, his open face betraying his fierce emotions.

"Shudder," I spoke in a low, gentle tone of voice. "What happened while you were in Manhattan?"

He cringed, rubbing his shoulder and leaned backwards slightly.

Governor exchanged a glance with Hawk before asking, "Was it one ah da 'hattan boys?"

Shudder made a fist and turned it up so his knuckles were facing the sky. _No_.

"You need to let me look at it, Shudder. I need to see if it's something serious. Or if you're bleeding," I slowly raised a hand as I murmured this.

His shoulders drooped and he relaxed into my touch. I pushed aside the collar of his button-up shirt and held in a gasp. Hawk swore loudly and Governor put his hand over Zibby's uncovered ear as he seethed silently. On both sides of Shudder's neck along the tops of his shoulders were hand shaped bruises. I could distincly see each individual finger on his skin.

I tried to swallow the large lump that had grown in my throat. Taking a deep breath, I examined the bruises more closely. "Shudder, I need to know who did this and I need to know right now."

I looked from the wounds to his face. His hazel eyes, ones that turned to a darker green when frightened, immediately changed colors. His lithe frame quivered under my hands. I could almost hear his heart rapidly beating beneath his ribcage as he stood barely inches away from me.

Shudder's gaze finally locked onto mine. He gained the strength to lift a hand, spreading all five fingers out. It took him a second more to bend his ring finger so it looked like only the bottom half was left.

"Stubbs," Governor, Hawk and I breathed at the same time.

"I knew you shouldn't have gone with him. Where was Sulk when this happened?" Hawk shouted. The few people still on the darkening street took the time to give us more then enough space to walk around us as he started pacing.

Shudder's eyes grew glassy, but he never shed a tear as he shot forward and wrapped his arms around my neck. I hugged him back tightly and peered through the dimly lit street to Governor. The fourteen-year-old made to pat his friend's back but reconsidered what the outcome would be if he were to do so and pulled his hand back to run his hand over Zibby's hair.

Shudder would've huddled as close to me as he could, trying to hide from the rest of the world. He would have gone so silent and still you wouldn't have even known if he were breathing or not. Shudder didn't like any kind of contact from another human being, and unless he initiated the contact himself, only a select few were lucky enough to even have their fingers brush across his skin without scaring him.

When he was first found, the dark haired boy had been so far gone that Spot didn't know if he should have been staying in the Lodging House or going to the hospital for someone else to take care of him. No one knew what Shudder would do since whenever someone tried to talk to him he flinched as if he were going to be backhanded

He never made direct eye contact with anyone older then him, almost never wanted to be in the same room as most of the vicious looking Brooklyn newsies, and he absolutely _never_ let any of the boys touch him. And the one thing he never did in the half year I'd known him, was speak a single word.

He was mute, just like I was a short time ago. His history was just as bad as mine, worse even, and I'll be damned if someone was going to hurt him and get away with it.


	4. Go in dere and tell 'em everythin

**A/N - **Okie dokie, here is the latest installment to _Mumble_. It took me a while to get it finished but I finally did. I had some slight troubles, nothing too serious, and I got it done. Sure hope ya like it.

**Reviews - **

**ThePen23  
Eavis  
Aria 'Maiden' Montgomery - **You gotta remember, Spot and Maddie aren't going to be together _all _time. I mean, yes, they will be together for a good portion of all the chapters, but they can't stay that way every single minute of every day. In _Murmur_ Spot didn't even arrive until chapter six and even then he wasn't stuck to her side like glue. But you're right, it is only the third chapter and not everything is defined just yet. And I get where you're coming from when you said that Maddie seems fake and not really true to herself. But it's been two years and she's grown much more comfortable with the people she's around. As soon as you stick her in a crowd of people she doesn't know while she's alone, though, she reverts into the person she used to be.  
**chaoticmom - **I love your reviews. I really do. You've once again given me an idea, and this one has to do with Shudder and how he ties into the story. Good job for being my inspiration on half of my ideas.  
**MushSpotgoil  
LivingByWill -** Thank goodness at least one other person besides me and my friend think he fits in with Spot. I was a little worried everyone would be angry that I found someone else to be the Spot for this story instead of Gabriel.  
**X-Scree Scree-X  
elleestJenn - **I had actually thought it was pretty obvious that Doc would have looked at Zibby as soon as Maddie stepped foot inside his building. She wouldn't have just let the poor kid bleed all over everything, and neither would Doc. But yes, Doc did take a look at Zibby's injuries and determined that he bit his tongue pretty hard when he hit the floor. That's the reason for all the blood.

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**Chapter Four - Go in dere and tell 'em everythin**

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As soon as the Lodging House came into view, I froze in the middle of the street. All the anger that had built up on the way home burnt out as a flash of fear took over. Shudder clutched the back of my shirt, pulling it from where it was tucked into my skirt. Hawk stopped on the third step of the stoop, turning to see why I had paused. He reached out and quickly grabbed a hold of Governor's arm before he could open the door.

Governor looked over his shoulder at us, his fingers barely grazing the cool handle of the door. Zibby shifted in his arms and one of his fists reached up to rub his closed lids. He yawned into Governor's neck before settling back into silence.

Hawk took a step down and gestured me forward. I shook my head. I wasn't entirely too sure if I wanted to go in there and make accusations only for me to be shot down and told I was lying. Even if I knew I was right, nobody but those currently with me right now would believe me. And that was only because they had seen what Stubbs does to me first hand.

Hawk crossed his arms over his chest. His anger wasn't going to go away as easily as mine had. "Don't do dis, Mads. Don't let 'im win."

"Nobody will believe me, Hawk," I cried. Shudder moved even closer to me. I could feel him bury his face between my shoulder blades. "They won't believe me."

"Ya jus' gotta be strong," Governor spoke from the top of the stoop. "'e expects ya ta be weak. Ya need ta prove 'im wrong."

"But I'm not strong enough! I'll get in there and won't be able to do anything because he'll immediately take control over the situation. I won't be able to get a word in and he'll convince them I'm lying. I'm not strong like the both of you, I won't be able to do it."

Hawk hurried down the last two steps and then to where I stood in the street. "Do you'se remembah when Drivah brought dat goil 'ome wid 'im on pokah night last year?"

I slowly nodded my head, my hands coming to rest on Shudder's arms as he wrapped them around my waist from behind.

"An do you'se remembah 'ow she asked ta go ta da bathroom but instead took a detour inta da bunk room? She managed ta steal somethin from every single newsie who lives in dere. Do you'se remembah dat?" He didn't wait for me to answer, he just continued on. "What 'appened when you'se went ta look fa 'er cause Drivah wanted ta know what was takin 'er so long, huh? What 'appened when you'se found 'er takin a quarter right off Millah's bedside table?"

After taking a deep breath I replied, "I yelled at her and kicked her out of the Lodging House. I made sure she knew she wasn't good enough for Driver and then told her to never come back."

"An aftah 'e yelled an screamed at ya fa a good twenty minutes, what did you'se tell 'im?"

"That he needed to find someone better." I gave an exasperated sigh. "This isn't helping me any, Hawk. What are you trying to tell me? Driver wouldn't talk to me for two weeks after that and he only started back up again because Spot told him what had happened after I explained myself to him."

Hawk completely ignored my question and asked me one of his own. "An what 'bout Tully?"

"What about Tully?"

"Dat night da boys took 'is blanket as a joke an couldn't remembah where dey stashed it. Ya knew 'e wouldn't be able ta sleep without it, so what did ya do? Even when 'e tried ta push ya away, what did ya do?"

His questions were starting to frustrate me. The memories of both accounts poured into my mind and I teared up. "I stayed with him the whole night. I didn't leave his side once."

Hawk made to ask another question, but Governor caught his shoulder. "Stop it, Hawk. Ya upsettin 'er."

"Well, what else was I'se supposed ta do, Gov? Skip down da street wid 'er and let 'er braid my 'air aftahwards? She won't listen ta me-"

"She's listening, Hawk, she just doesn't undahstand what ya trying ta say. Don't let ya angah fa Stubbs backlash against Maddie. She didn't do anythin wrong." Here Governor shouldered Hawk aside to stand in front of me. "What dis jackass is tryin ta tell ya is... dese boys trust you'se. Whenevah Drivah gets a new goil, 'e always brings 'er 'round ta see if ya's like 'er or not. 'e trusts ya even more because of dat incident wid dat crook. An evah since Tully got ta sleep dat one night without 'is blanket, even if 'e won't admit it 'imself, 'e knows you'se will always be dere for 'im. Evah since dat night, 'e nevah 'as ta bring it wid 'im when 'e goes ta 'hattan if 'e knows you'se will be dere too. Dey all trust ya judgment. Jus'...jus' go in dere and tell 'em everythin ya know."

I closed my eyes, Governor's words spinning beneath my skull and replaying in my ears. I could do this._ I_ could do this. I _would _do this. I went to take a step towards the door to our home, Shudder clutching me even tighter as he struggled to hold me back, but the door being flung open stopped me.

Paralyzed, any kind of courage Governor might have convinced me I had fled the instant Stubbs' form showed up in the doorway. It was still light enough outside that I could see his facial features. It looked as if he had taken a bite out of a overly ripe fruit from the market.

Everyone else had frozen along with me. Hawk lowered his arms from running through his hair to stare at Stubbs with a look that could kill him ten times over. Governor's eyes widened and he stepped behind me next to Shudder, holding Zibby close. I could feel Shudder's breath on the back of my neck and I knew he was looking over my shoulder to see what was going on. His arms released my waist and went back to grasping at the fabric on my back.

Stubbs turned to look at something inside, and then shut the door behind him as he stepped over the threshold. My breath hitched at the dangerous glint in his dark eyes. He sauntered down the stairs, taking his time with putting one foot slowly before the other. His hands slipped into his pockets when he reached the last step.

"What is goin on out 'ere?"

Governor stiffened behind me and Hawk shrugged nonchalantly as his hands clenched into fists. Shudder started trembling against my back. Stubbs' eyes flickered past my shoulder and he smirked.

"I'se was wonderin where you'se 'ad disappeared ta, Shuddah. Shoulda figured."

The low whimper of the boy behind me had me straightening my back and narrowing my eyes.

Hawk shifted closer to me. "Any idea if Spot is back yet?"

Stubbs' gaze left me to glance at Hawk. "Nah, 'e ain't. Met up wid 'im as soon as I'se got ovah da bridge an 'e said 'e 'as some business ta take care of." His eyes left the fourteen-year-old to stare at me. I flinched at the intensity. "Said 'e wanted me'se ta make shoah 'is goil got 'ome safely. Seems you'se two did my job fa me."

Governor forced out a laugh. "Yeah, guess we'se did. Sahrry."

Stubbs couldn't tell that he actually wasn't sorry at all. He tilted his head thoughtfully. "'e also wanted me'se ta explain ta 'er a few things."

Even with the hidden message of _get lost_ underlining his words, nobody moved.

Stubbs clenched his jaw. "It ain't fa liddle kids' ears. So, scram!"

Shudder jumped at the tone of the man's voice. Governor took a hesitant step around me. I leaned towards him, my eyes stuck on Stubbs. "Take Shudder with you."

I could see Hawk about to protest from the corner of my eye and I reached over and pinched his side. "Just do it."

Hawk held his hand out for Shudder to take. Stubbs began to grow impatient and it looked like he wanted to come and shove all of them away from the vicinity. I lightly nudged Shudder towards Hawk from behind. He finally took the boy's hand. The three of them cautiously made their way around Stubbs as if he were a wild animal ready to attack it's prey. Governor opened the door and and held it open to let Hawk and Shudder pass, worriedly gazing down at me.

I waited reluctantly as the door quietly sealed shut. In the split second it took for the door to click closed, Stubbs appeared right in front of me. I drew back before he could reach out and grab a hold of any part of me. He managed to get his long fingers around my wrist faster then I could move away.

"Don't move."

I ceased all movements. He slanted his eyes back and forth, searching the street. I did the same thing, surveying the road for any possible civilians that would prevent him from doing something. The cobblestone was empty except for an old man at the other corner overexerting himself as he struggled to make it home.

Stubbs waited for him to turn the corner before his eyes shot back to mine.

"You'se remembahs what I'se told ya's, right?"

I breathed in a shaky breath and nodded.

"Good. 'cause if you'se even speak a word 'bout what 'appened an ya liddle buddy from 'hattan an ya sistah are automatically dea-"

"I haven't spoken a word, you don't have to tell me this again," I cringed as his grip around my right wrist tightened. There was no way I would even be able to try and pull it off with my other hand. Not with my stiff fingers.

"Don't back talk ta me'se," he growled. Pulling me closer, I could feel his warmth breath across my face. It was utterly disgusting.

I leaned back as far as I could, desperately searching the windows of the Lodging House behind Stubbs. In the far window of the front room, the curtain fluttered aside and the window was slowly pushed up by unseen hands. Birdies hear everything.

Finding the nerve with friends listening nearby, I asked him the question I'd been wanting to ever since I left Doc's office. "What did you do to Shudder?"

Stubbs looked irritated. "Jus' put 'im in 'is place, is all."

I pulled even farther away from him. "No, you hurt him. Badly. What was the reason?"

He lifted a hand, the one missing a finger, and pat my cheek. "Don't you'se worry ya preddy liddle head 'bout it. Doesn't concern you'se."

I narrowed my eyes and slapped his hand away.

He grinned, "Ooo, feisty." He caught both my arms and moved even closer. "Jus' 'ow I'se like 'em."

Without really even thinking about it, I slammed one foot down and kicked out the other. I managed to smash his toes and ram my boot into his shin all at the same time. Guess those lessons with Spot are starting to pay off. The effect was instant. He let go of me and I scurried past him to get to the Lodging House door. I have a feeling he would have come after me if it hadn't been for the voice calling to him.

"I'se see ya's gots my goil 'ome safely, Stubbs."

The tension in my shoulders instantaneously relaxed while Stubbs' grew worse. I turned from the building to glance at Spot. He looked tired. There were bags under those beautiful stormy eyes of his and his sand colored hair was hidden under his brown cap. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up to his elbows, his gold-tipped cane stick through his belt loop, and his arms were crossed over his chest. Even looking as haggard as he did, he made it look good.

"Yeah, I'se got 'er 'ome in one piece."

I shot Stubbs a look of contempt. He didn't do anything and yet he was taking the credit.

Spot's eyes flickered from me to Stubbs and back. His hard eyes softened towards me before gaining a coldness as he looked at his newsie.

Stubbs saw it and his back stiffened. If he grew any more rigid, somebody would be able to easily break him in half like he was a dried out stick. "So... 'ow was sellin' aftah I'se last talked a ya's?"

* * *

The Brooklyn Leader ambled forward, his keen gaze catching the discomforted look Madeline threw at Stubbs' back. Spot shouldered his newsie away from the foot of the stairs and then made his way to stand on the one just below hers. She smiled at him affectionately, the tenderness in her eyes warming him throughout his body down to his toes.

"I'se still needs ta tell ya da news from 'hattan."

His eyes never left Maddie's face. Even when she peered over his shoulder to look at Stubbs. "Tell it ta me'se tamorrow."

Spot heard the scuff of Stubbs' shoes as he stepped forward. "But Jack's been sayin somethin 'bout-"

"Don't care right now," Spot interrupted. He reached out around Maddie's waist and laced his fingers together behind her lower back, effectively pulling her against his body. Her cheeks grew pink at his motions. "Tell me'se tamorrow."

Maddie closed her eyes and rested her forehead against his. She sighed as Spot nuzzled his nose across her cheek and into her hair. He opened his eyes and noticed the window nearby closing quietly, immediately recognizing it to be one of his birds. He'd have to ask them about what had occurred before he arrived at a later time.

Someone cleared their throat behind him and Spot only released Maddie enough turn and raise an eyebrow at Stubbs. The newsie cleared his throat again, his fists clenched tight and his knuckles white. Spot opened the door behind Maddie and gently nudged her over the threshold backwards.

The last thing he heard before the door shut behind them was a male voice cursing and the sound of something crashing to the ground.


	5. Nobody Important

**A/N – **Okie Dokie, so here is the fifth chapter of _Mumble_. Yay! I made it slightly longer (at least to me it was slightly longer) then what I usually do because I'm not going to be anywhere near an Internet connection for the next two and a half weeks. Unless I can steal my mom's Verizon router for a split second, then you might have a new chapter by next Sunday or Monday. There were two times where I could have ended this chapter, and both of those are marked with the break across the page. Tell me that wouldn't have killed you to have waited for the rest of it, yeah?

Before I get started on reviews, I know most of you would like to kill Stubbs in his sleep. And because I know how much you'd like to do that, I wanna know what ideas you have on what you'd like to see happen to him. Wanna hit him over the head with a club? Have Spot kick his ass till he's black and blue and broken all over? Tell me what you have in mind and I'll see what I can fit into the scene when the time comes. Because it _will_ come.

**Reviews - **

**Spotted Dancer – **Everything about Stubbs harassing Maddie will eventually come out at some point in the near future. Since you (and a few other people) mentioned it, I'm thinking I might have to do a flashback to kick everyone in gear to know what happened to start the whole thing.  
**X-Scree Scree-X – **Hopefully you read the second paragraph of my Author's Note. :)  
**chaoticmom – **I'll be sure to add that little tidbit of Maddie screaming at Cowboy. I've actually been imagining that scene in my head since I read you're review. It's been making me giggle.  
**Austra - **Well, not necessarily fame, but thank you for telling me. It gave me an ego boost.  
**YumKiwiDelicious – **Yes, Stubbs is extremely evil :)  
**LivingByWill – **There is some hostility, yes, and it will be slapping Stubbs in the face when Spot finally finds out what's been going on behind his back.  
**delaesperanza – **For right now, Robert is in hiding and nobody knows where he currently is. So, in the meantime, Stubbs is the villain. And Misty? Everyone who knows her hasn't seen her since the strike so they _think_ she's still alive. They have no proof if she's dead or not. You'll find out soon what happened to her. By the way, I was just finishing this chapter up when you reviewed for both _Murmur_ and _Mumble_. Think of this chapter as being a newcomer welcome. :)

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**Chapter Five – Nobody Important**

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Spot knew something had happened between Stubbs and I. Ever since the altercation with the newsboy two and a half weeks ago, he'd been staying by my side more and more. It was just like the four months after the newsies won their strike where he wouldn't let me leave his side to even use the bathroom. Not that I had a problem spending more time with Spot. I liked having him around during the day just as much as I had him to myself at night.

The problem I had was him finding out about the threats Stubbs had been issuing towards me. If he even gave any indication about knowing a slight bit about what happened on that day two years ago, then Patches and Misty were automatically dead. Stubbs had even, on occasion, mentioned a few things that would implicate harm coming to the King of Brooklyn. And all of that really wasn't something I wanted to occur.

I sighed, shelving a few medical books onto the bookshelf in Doc's waiting room. Elizabeth sat on the floor nearby, only after receiving help with getting down that low, with Rosalie and Zibby. They were stacking nondescript blocks as high as they could get them before Zibby decided to knock them all over. Rose would scowl dangerously at him, Liz would maternally smile at her daughter, Zibby would cackle to himself, and the process would repeat itself.

Spot slumped down on the chair adjacent to where I was sitting on the floor. His legs were haphazardly spread out beside me, his arms crossed over his chest, and his hat set low over his closed eyelids. To anybody else it would look like he was fast asleep, but to me, he was just resting his eyes.

The office had been empty for the most part earlier this morning. Not much had happened other then a woman coming in for treatment for a sprained wrist. Doc had sent her on her way with a wrap and the promise of it being better within the next couple weeks.

I shoved the last of the books onto the shelf, sticking one on top of the others because it didn't fit, before shifting over to lean against Spot's side. I lay my head on his thigh and curled my legs up to my chest and pulled my skirt out to hide my feet. One of his hands came to rest upon the back of my neck, his fingers kneading into the skin there.

"'ey, Spot!"

I glanced over to the corner of the room where the two toddlers and older woman sat. Zibby was stretched up as far as he could go on his hands and knees, his head twisting this way and that to look around Liz's body.

"Spot!"

"Hm," the Brooklyn leader made a small motion with the hand not on my neck. His eyes were still closed and his body relaxed.

"Lookit dis, Spot."

I peered past Liz's back to find out what Zibby was so excited for Spot to see. The tower they had been recreating for the fifth time was bigger then when they had first started. Zibby hadn't slammed his arm into it just yet so it was still standing.

"Spooooot," Zibby dragged out in a whine. When he saw that Spot wasn't going to open his eyes, the small boy made a sour face.

I glimpsed Rose slowly inching her foot towards the base of the tower. Zibby didn't seem to notice as he had stomped towards where Spot and I sat.

"Spot, you'se gots ta see 'ow 'igh I'se made da towah," the four-year-old stood between Spot's outstretched legs as he said this. Since he didn't get the reaction he had wanted from Spot, he hesitantly reached forward and tilted the older boy's hat up.

Spot didn't even move. No twitch of the lips, no flicker of an eyelid. The movements from his fingers stopped and altogether vanished from my skin.

In seconds he had caught Zibby around the waist and stood from his seat to throw the giggling child into the air. Liz turned to see what the commotion was about and we both shared a smile as Spot swing Zibby so his head was mere inches from the ground.

That was when the sneaky little two-year-old known as Rosalie kicked her bare foot out and hit the bottom block of the tower. The crash of all the wooden blocks hitting the floor and the corner of the nearby table had Spot momentarily pausing, which gave Zibby enough time to catch sight of the mess now scattered across the floor.

"Rose! No!" The small boy crossed his arms and started pouting. It was quite an adorable sight seeing as his cheeks were red from still being swung upside down by his ankles.

Rosalie innocently smiled up at the older boy and held one of the blocks out for him to take. Liz turned so she could see how Zibby would react to the peace offering from halfway across the room, her hands immediately going to her swollen belly when she got comfortable.

Zibby's face still in a pout, I could see the tears beginning to pool in his eyes. "Aw, Zibby. It'll be okay."

I motioned for Spot to set the boy down and he flipped Zibby so he was right side up. The tiny being immediately rushed to my side as I got to my knees. He shoved his head into my neck, banging my chin against the top of his skull.

"No it's not. Spot didn't even gets ta see it."

Rubbing my chin, I pointedly looked at Spot. He scratched at the side of his jaw before saying, "I'se saw it, kid."

Zibby sucked in a breath through his nose. All the phlegm that usually associated with crying now ran down the back of his throat. He tearfully blinked up at Spot. "You'se did?"

Spot kneeled down beside me. "Course I'se did. It was 'bout fifty feet tall, wasn't it?"

Zibby's red eyes brightened as he wiped at the trails his tears made. "I'se didn't think it was dat 'igh, but yeah, I'se think it was."

Quickly agreeing, Spot nodded along. "Was 'uge."

The door to Doc's office opened and the man himself rushed into the waiting room. "What's wrong? What crashed in here?"

Liz chuckled from her spot on the floor. "Darling, that was a little delayed, don't you think?"

Doc looked elsewhere and cleared his throat. "Sorry, I was reading a text on what the causes of the common cold are. Fascinating, really-"

Before he could say anything more, the front door slammed open and two people staggered through the doorway. A man in his forties had the arm of a teenager thrown over his shoulder. The boy roughly coughed, followed by a high pitched 'whoop' sound as he struggled to breath in.

Doc's first reaction was to issue the orders, "Spot, get Liz and the kids upstairs. Maddie, help me move him into the next room."

I immediately rushed to put the other arm of the teen around my shoulders. Spot momentarily paused to watch us, only jolting back when Doc yelled at him to get a move on it. He shot over to Liz's frazzled form, helping the very pregnant woman to her feet, while I stumbled beneath the weight of the teen as the man and I towed him to the examination table.

As soon as he was sat down, Doc shut the door and tied a fabric mask over his nose and mouth. He tossed one at me and I scurried to tie it correctly around my head. I worriedly glanced at the boy, who was currently holding both hands over his mouth as he had a coughing fit. What was so wrong with him that we had to wear these? The other man wasn't wearing one. What did that mean?

Doc pulled a set of gloves from a drawer and quickly put them on. He ran his hands over the boy's throat and asked, "When did the coughing start?"

The man took his cue to answer. "S'been a couple weeks. But it hadn't been this bad. He jus' barely started the big ones few nights ago."

Moving his hands along the boy's ribs, Doc brow furrowed. "Has he been vomiting much?"

"Jus' 'bout after every fit."

"Maddie," I stepped forward from where I had backed up near the door to get out of the way. "Make note that the cough has been going on for a couple weeks and that he's slightly malnourished."

I scrambled for the notepad I usually carried while working and jotted down Doc's words as he began to talk.

"Is it painful anywhere?"

The boy, grasping at his throat, pointed to his ear.

"Earache. You haven't had any seizures have you?"

He shook his head, his coughing sounding more menacing by the minute.

Doc leaned back, the frown marring his face hidden by the white mask. "Well, it seems he's got _pertussis_, that's whooping cough."

The man looked slightly disturbed at the teen making a keening sound at the end of each cough before he could suck in another breath. "Is he gonna be okay?"

"With the proper medicine," Doc flitted to the cabinets on the side wall behind the examination table. "He should be right as rain in about four to five weeks. Ah, here we are!"

Doc plucked a small glass vial from the bottom shelf and walked back around to stand in front of the boy. A knock on the door behind me made me start. Doc, the mask muffling his voice, was instantly yelling out, "You're not allowed in, Spot. And don't even try getting Maddie to open the door because she'd forbidden to do so."

Something smacked against the bottom of the door and I assumed Spot had kicked it as he muttered obscenities.

"Now, you're not allergic to any medication, are you?

"He is to a few of them."

"Is one of them _erythromycin_?"

The man paused, seeming to search his brain for the answer, and then nodded gravely.

"Damn," Doc went to rub at his face, but decided against it and instead looked from the vial to the man and back. "Are you or anyone who has come into close contact with him allergic to it since he got sick?"

The man shrugged. "Not that I know of."

"Then you're going to need this," Doc handed the bottle to the man. "Maddie, write down how much of the medication needs to be administered in doses for certain age groups."

I ripped out a separate page and did as I was told, scrawling down the doses as he listed them off.

"But what 'bout my son?"

"Well, see, here's the problem – I've only got _erythromycin_ on hand. And within the last couple weeks, there's been a small outbreak of whooping cough throughout Brooklyn and in some parts of the Bronx. Everywhere near here is all out of _azithromycin_, the other drug that will help your son get better faster. Or at least lower the days where he's infectious. It's not that bad with adults with the proper treatment, but it's near fatal with newborns and most toddlers if they catch it."

That would be why he had Spot hurry Elizabeth upstairs, because of their unborn child and two-year old daughter. Not to mention Zibby.

"Now, with the medicine you have in your hand, each of your family members needs to take the correct dosages – Maddie, would you give him the sheet, please – and they should be just fine. But with your boy here, I'm going to have to send my assistant to go get it. The only man I know that has enough _azithromycin_ stocked up lives in Midtown. It should be back later tonight depending on how fast it takes her to get there."

My eyes widened. He didn't mean –

"Madeline, you can go out to Spot now. I'll give you directions in just a minute."

I was going to have to travel to Midtown, a place I never wanted to step foot in, to get medicine for a boy I didn't even know.

Oh jeez.

* * *

Spot kept his arm firmly wrapped around my neck as we dodged the citizens of Brooklyn, New York. Distressed, I kept glancing over my shoulder to look for someone that wasn't there. The knuckles of the hand latched onto Spot's left suspender grew white as I gripped it tighter.

"Mads, it's gonna be okay. We'se 'aven't seen 'ide nor 'air of Shreddah since da strike," Spot comforted me. "An 'is newsies 'aven't bothered us at all. It'll be fine. 'sides, ya boys ah comin' wid us." He gestured to the alley we were coming up on with his cane.

Between the usual crowd of people making their way down the street, I saw Shudder dart from the shadows. Someone grabbed at my waist and I cringed into Spot's side.

"Sahrry, Maddie. I'se couldn't 'elp myself," Hawk said as he came into view from behind me.

"Yeah," Blitz appeared in front of us with Shudder at his side. "Well, you'se needs ta stop 'elpin yaself ta things dat don't want nor need ya's 'round."

"Dat," Governor surfaced from the crowd next to Spot. "'ad ta 'urt. 'ow ya doin, 'awk? Ya good? Because aftah dat you'se should be cryin or somethin."

As Hawk smacked Governor across the back of the head, Shudder attached his hand around my left one and interlocked our fingers together. Blitz grinned at me and started walking backwards while gesturing for us to follow.

"'ow goes it, Mads. Feels like I'se 'aven't talked ta you'se in months."

I glanced over my shoulder to make sure Governor and Hawk were following us before answering. "I'm fine, Blitz. Not much has been going on so there really isn't much to talk about."

"Ow! Dat 'urt!"

Turning my head, I saw Hawk rubbing his shoulder and glowering at Governor.

"Well, you'se deserved it ya rotten liddle-"

"Knock it off," Spot interrupted, pulling me and Shudder away from an oncoming cart. "Don't start."

Blitz had to dodge into a man in a business suit who was also trying to escape being trampled by the horses pulling the cart. The man glared at him and Blitz made a face back. Neither apologized to the other and they left it alone and continued on their way. The Brooklynite made a rude gesture over his shoulder just in case the man happened to turn and get one last look at him.

Spot swung his cane out and hit Blitz in the shin with it. "Don't instigate a fight wid 'im. We'se don't 'ave time fa it."

Blitz moped, his lips pouting. Spot saw this and raised both his cane and an eyebrow. "Don't make me'se smack ya face, Blitz."

He promptly let the sullen look fall into an easy going grin. He slid his hands into his pockets and strolled alongside Spot as if he were in Central Park instead of a busy street in Brooklyn at two in the afternoon.

Governor sped up and I felt him brush against my back. "'ave ya told 'im bout 'hattan, Blitz?"

Spot twisted his head to frown at the young teen as we turned a corner. "What's wrong wid Manhattan?"

Blitz jumped in front of us once again, his face serious. "You'se remembah 'ow Stubbs said somethin 'bout 'ow things are changin ovah dere?"

"Yeah. 'e said a couple of da oldah boys ah decidin' ta get work elsewhere and dat Jack might be givin' da leadahship ta someone else soon. 'e already told me-"

"But Stubbs didn't tell you'se evahrythin. Fa some reason 'e didn't want Maddie here ta know dat Patches 'as gotten inta a bit of trouble wid a few, shall we'se say, questionable peoples."

I looked at Blitz, shocked beyond belief. "But he's only ten years old! Wasn't someone watching him to make sure he wasn't hanging out with the wrong people?"

Shudder pulled on my arm. I peered over at him, silently asking what he needed. He shook his head before laying it onto my shoulder.

"'hattan 'as it's own problems right now, Maddie," Spot spoke, pulling me and Shudder across the street with him. Blitz kept close and both Governor and Hawk struggled to keep up with Spot's fast pace. "Dey're at a bit of a disagreement wid Queens right now 'cause of Mush and Kid Blink _sellin'_ on someone else's territory." The emphasis he put on 'selling' let me know that they hadn't actually been on anybody else's turf. "Dey're mainly tryin ta keep peace between da two boroughs right now. Dey probably don't 'ave time ta watch Patches' every move."

"Well," I started. "What's he been doing?"

I could see Blitz shrug from the corner of my eye. "Don't know. But it's obviously somethin Stubbs didn't want you'se ta know 'bout."

Around my neck, Spot's arm tightened slightly before loosening. He began playing with the loose tendrils of hair that had fallen from the bun I had put my locks up into.

"Jack wants ta send 'im 'ere ta Brooklyn."

The announcement almost had me stopping in my tracks, but with both Spot and Shudder hanging onto me, I kept walking with only a minor falter.

"Said dat maybe Maddie would knows what ta do wid 'im."

I regarded Spot to see what he thought about it. He gazed down at me and kissed the side of my head. "We'll see."

* * *

Shudder clutched at my left hand as tightly as he could. I held back a grimace of pain as his palms pushed down my stiffened fingers beyond their limit. I didn't bother to say anything to him though, because being in Midtown frightened me just as much as it terrified him.

"Stay close," Spot murmured into my ear. His hand release my neck and trailed down my arm to intertwine our fingers. "I'se don't wants you'se getting' lost 'ere."

"Dis place give me'se da creeps," Blitz muttered. His dark green eyes searching the worn buildings and angry faced people with uncertainty. "Da sooner we'se gets outta 'ere da bettah."

"Do you'se know where we'se is goin, Spot?" Hawk asked from behind us.

"Doc told Maddie dis guy was on West Broadway. So we'se needs ta take a left 'ere. 'e said it should be preddy obvious which buildin' 'e's in."

Governor grumbled something under his breath before asking aloud, "Do you'se think we'se can stop in ta see Cowboy on da way 'ome. I'se feel like I'se needs ta be cheered up aftah jus' takin a step in dis dump."

Spot shook his head, his stormy eyes taking in every detail of the street around us. "No, we'se don't 'ave time ta stop anywhere if we'se needs ta be back by nightfall. Maybe next time, Gov."

Blitz stumbled over an upturned part of the road and Hawk grasped his arm so he wouldn't fall to the ground After making sure the older boy was steady, Hawk claimed, "You'se would think dat somebody would fix dis place up."

The dark, curly-haired boy snorted. "City officials don't give a rat's ass 'bout Midtown. It's too fah gone. Jus' getting' a street fixed up like dey did last year didn't even make dat much of an improvement. Dey's already messed it up back ta da point it was at befoah dem richies fixed it."

"Quiet, Blitz," Spot jabbed his elbow into his right hand man's side. He nodded to a couple of grouchy looking women as they passed us. They sucked their cheeks in, their mouths pinched, and scowled. "You'se don't wanna be upsettin da locals if dey 'ear ya's."

It took another five minutes before we finally reached the street Doc had sent us to. And he was right – it was pretty obvious which building the doctor was supposed to be in. Amongst all the crumbling buildings there sat one that was not as worn down as the rest. The bricks were still in tact, the door hanging straight on it's hinges, and the stoop wasn't missing either of it's side railings like the others. It even still had the shutters attached to most of the windows.

A couple of shady looking boys were sitting on the stairs that lead up to the door. One of them was smoking a cigarette while the other was flicking a knife open and closed. As we got closer, they looked at us and I could instantly tell they were not the kind of people I would want sleeping in the bunk next to mine. I was used to being around Brooklyn boys who looked like they could pummel someone into the ground without a second thought. But I knew that they only did it when the other person deserved what they got. If not, then they walked away with a shred of guilt that built up until they came running to me to let it all out. My aunt always used to tell me that talking helped, even though I never had the chance to talk with her, and it really did.

But these boys didn't look like guilt would take up any part of their conscience. If they even had one, that is. They would probably kill somebody and walk away with a smirk on their lips and what was for dinner on their minds.

I swallowed nervously as both of their eyes raked down the front of my cream colored blouse and dark blue skirt. I secured my hand around Spot's to ensure that he wouldn't let go.

"Well, if it ain't Spot Conlon, King of Brooklyn," the boy on the right spoke. His brown hair matted to his forehead as he tore his hat off his head. He blew a puff of smoke in our direction.

Spot stopped us a few feet in front of them. "'ello, boys. 'ow's it rollin?"

The other teen stroked the blade of his knife. "Not bad, not bad at all. Say, whaddya doin 'ere in Midtown?"

Blitz moved around to stand on the other side of Shudder as the frightened boy tried to hide himself behind my back. I heard the scuffle of Hawk and Governor's boots as they stood behind us.

"My goil 'ere works fa a doctor in Brooklyn. 'e needed a type of drug dat 'e didn't 'ave, so 'ere we ah," Spot's eyes flickered over their dirt-ridden faces, not giving out anymore details then that.

Their gazes burned under my skin as they stared at me. "Ya goil, huh."

Spot growled softly and shifted in front of me. "Yeah, my goil."

"Hm," the knife wielding one hummed, his mud colored eyes looking over my face. "Sure gotcha self a lookah dere, Conlon."

"Yeah, you'se willin' ta share?" The other one waggled his eyebrows and grinned a grimy yellow smile my way.

Repulsed, I stepped back onto Shudder's toes as both Blitz and Spot took a step forward threateningly.

"We'se was jus' jokin, Conlon," the boy on the left smirked.

"I'se wasn't," his friend declared.

The door behind them opened. Neither bothered to look to see who it was, but I glanced up at the girl exiting the building. Her frail frame was shaking like a leaf and her pale skin was turning more pale by the second. One of her hands was clamped over her lips while the other rested on the small bump protruding from beneath her skirt. Her blond hair was darker then mine and a lot shorter then my waist length locks. It framed her thin hollowed cheeks and ended in ragged points just below the middle of her neck. I glimpsed a pair of dark green eyes as she stumbled down the steps.

She looked oddly familiar. Which was weird because I'd never been to Midtown before. Maybe I'd seen her while visiting the newsies in Manhattan?

The girl paused behind the two boys, waiting for them to notice her. One of them briefly looked up at her before going back to sizing up Spot and Blitz. She made a gagging sound behind her fist and tripped down the rest of the stairs only to spew her lunch out at Spot and Blitz's feet. They jumped back, disgusted.

"Ugh, gross," I heard Hawk say, revolted at the sound of the girl dry heaving.

I frowned down at her in sympathy as she crouched lower to the ground. I let go of Spot's hand and went to rub her back when the two boys were instantly at her side.

"She's fine," one said curtly.

The other nodded and roughly pulled her to her feet. I caught sight of her wide glassy eyes as she wiped her mouth along the back of her hand.

"Jus' 'ad a stomach bug lately s'all."

I don't think either of them noticed just how obvious it was that she was at least four months pregnant. She stared at me blankly, her eyes showing no kind of recognition that I was even standing in front of her.

The dark haired boy flicked his cigarette to the ground and wrapped his fingers around the girl's tiny wrist. He began pulling her down the street. She went without a struggle, her feet fumbling along the cracked cobblestone. The other teen flicked his knife closed and gave a guarded nod towards Spot. He trailed after the other two, slipping the blade into his back pocket, and I faintly heard the girl's small voice ask who we were.

The answer both boys gave her simultaneously?

"Nobody important."

After this trip, I never wanted to step foot in Midtown _ever_ again.

* * *

**A/N cont. - Disclaimer **on the whooping cough and the medicine, I got the information off of _Wikipedia_ for the chapter. And by the way, I don't know if any of you knew this, but after I post a chapter I go through the official posting and read through to find any of the mistakes I made and to add more sentences and words. It looks different on the site then it does when I'm typing it, so I can catch things that I didn't before. Those of you who read it the instant you get the e-mail, you should probably wait a couple minutes so I can go in and fix a few things before you surf your way through it to find out what happens.


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